Indexing and searching content behind links presented in a communication

ABSTRACT

Among other disclosures, a method may include identifying content in an electronic communication, the content including a link. The method may include characterizing content associated with the link and storing the characterization. Upon detecting a match of a characterization, presenting one or more of the communication or portion thereof, the link or content associated with the link.

PRIORITY APPLICATION

This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/951,880, filed on Jul. 25, 2007, entitled, “Presentation ofPersonal and Public Data Queried Through Implicit Actions”, the contentsof which are incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Electronic communications between persons for both business and personaluse have increased substantially in recent years. In addition to thenumber of communications increasing, the number of availablecommunication mediums has also increased. In addition to e-mailcommunications and telephone communications, additional forms ofcommunication have become common in recent years, including instantmessaging, social network messaging and commenting, message boardposting, text messaging, and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOiP)communications.

These additional forms of communication have led to individualsexchanging communications with more people than ever before, which leadsto an even higher increase in the number of communications sent andreceived by an individual.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to collecting and presenting historicalcommunication data and/or personal data.

In a first aspect, a computer implemented method includes identifyingcontent in a communication, the content including a link. The method canfurther include characterizing content associated with the link andstoring the characterization. The method can further include, responsiveto a user query, presenting one or more of the link, the communicationor portion thereof and content associated with the link.

Characterizing content can further include indexing content behind thelink and storing an index to the content.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows an example e-mail client with a person profile side bar.

FIG. 1B shows an example of a person profile.

FIG. 1C shows an example of a conversation thread profile.

FIG. 1D shows an example of a search panel.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a webpage with inserted communication profileweb page links.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example communication delivery system.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process for organizing andretrieving information related to electronic communications.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example process for characterizingcontent behind links presented in a communication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A shows an example system 100 for displaying information (e.g., aprofile) about communications to, from, and involving an individual. Thesystem 100 includes an e-mail client 102 which can include an inboxviewing panel 104 and an e-mail viewing panel 106. The e-mail client 102can be a standard stand alone e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook orEudora. In an alternate implementation the e-mail client 102 can be aweb based e-mail client such as Yahoo! mail or Gmail that is viewedusing a web browser. The e-mail client 102 can allow a user to view alist of e-mails in the inbox viewing panel 104. The user can select ane-mail in the inbox viewing panel 104 causing the e-mail client 102 todisplay the selected e-mail in the e-mail viewing panel 106.

In some implementations, instead of an e-mail client, the system 100 caninclude an instant messaging client, a social network client, a textmessage client, or another communication viewing client. It is to beunderstood that while portions of this description describe systems andmethods involving e-mail communications, these same systems and methodscan be implemented using other forms of communication, including instantmessages, phone calls, text messages, internet message board postings,social network messages or comments, or voice over IP communications.

The e-mail client 102 also includes a profile 108. In the exampledepicted, the profile 108 is displayed as an additional panel within thee-mail client 102 positioned to the right of the inbox viewing panel 104and the e-mail viewing panel 106. This additional panel is sometimesreferred to as a side bar. In other implementations, the profile 108 canbe located at the top, bottom, left side, or any other location withinthe e-mail client 102. In still other implementations, the profile 108can be displayed in a stand alone window, in a pop-up bubble displayedover a portion of the e-mail client 102, or integrated as part of one ofthe other viewing panels displayed by the e-mail client 102. Forexample, a pop up bubble containing a profile 108 can appear when ane-mail is selected in the inbox viewing panel 104, when an e-mailaddress or portion of text in the e-mail viewing panel 106 is selected,or when a mouse icon is moved over an e-mail address, name, icon, orportion of text. In another example, information can be integrated aspart of the body of an e-mail, such as inserting a picture next to aperson's name in the body of an e-mail, or inserting a person's namenext to a phone number in an e-mail or attachment.

The profile 108 can contain information relating to a sender of ane-mail, a recipient of an e-mail, the body of an e-mail, an attachmentto an e-mail, or a person or topic mentioned in an e-mail. In alternateimplementations, the profile 108 can contain information related to asender, recipient, body, attachment or topic of another communicationmedium such as an instant message, a phone call, a text message, aninternet message board, a social network message or comment, or a voiceover IP communication. The user can implicitly request information to bedisplayed in the profile 108 by selecting an e-mail in the inbox viewingpanel 104 or selecting text within a header or body of an e-mail in thee-mail viewing panel 106. In some implementations, the profile caninclude additional information (e.g., derived information such as searchresults derived from a topic mentioned in a communication).

In some implementations, the profile 108 can display information aboutan entity other than a person. For example, a communication may bereceived from an automated system, such as from a travel website,on-line retailer, an advertising service, or a mailing list. The profile108 can display information related to the sender of the communication.For example, if the communication received has been sent from a travelwebsite, information related to the travel website, or othercommunications from the travel website can be displayed. In anotherexample, if the communication received has been sent from an mailinglist, information related to the mailing list, or other communicationsreceived from the mailing list can be displayed. As yet another example,if the communication received has been sent from a business entity,information about the business entity (e.g., address, telephone number,contact person name) can be included in the personal profile.

For example, the user can select an e-mail 110 in the inbox viewingpanel 104 causing the profile 108 to display information related to asender 112 of the e-mail 110. In another example, the user can select ane-mail address 114 or name of a recipient of the e-mail 110 in order todisplay information related to the recipient in the profile 108. Inanother example, the user can select an attachment to the e-mail 110 inorder to display information related to the attachment in the profile108. In yet another example, the user can select the name of a person, auser name of a person, or a particular topic listed in a header, a body,or an attachment of the e-mail 110 in order to display informationrelated to the person or topic in the profile 108.

In some implementations, the system 100 can determine if the user hasmade an implicit request to view information in the profile 108 bytracking, for example, user input of the form of mouse movements, mouselocations, keyboard strokes, mouse clicks, or active windows. Implicitrequests to view information in the profile 108 can include opening,viewing, reading or writing an e-mail or other communication medium. Forexample, if the user starts to compose an instant message, the profile108 can display information related to the recipient of the instantmessage. In another example, if the user views a social network profile,either within the e-mail client 102 or in a separate web browser, theprofile 108 can display information related to a person associated withthe social network profile.

In some implementations, selecting an e-mail or communication for whicha person is a recipient of the e-mail or communication can cause aprofile 108 for the person to be displayed. For example, selecting ane-mail addressed to Steve Jones can cause a person profile for SteveJones to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting an e-mail orcommunication on which a person has been copied (for example in a CC orBCC field) can cause a profile 108 for the person to be displayed. Insome implementations, putting a person's e-mail address in the To, CC,or BCC field of an e-mail or communication can cause a profile 108 forthe person to be displayed. In some implementations, hovering a mousecursor or other selection tool over an e-mail where a person is listedin the To, From, CC, or BCC field can cause a profile 108 for the personto be displayed. In some implementations, typing a person's name cancause a profile 108 for the person to be displayed.

In some implementations, selecting a file that was sent or received asan attachment to a communication can cause a profile 108 to be displayedfor a person listed as a recipient or sender of the communication. Forexample, selecting a file with the name “fourthquarterprogress.doc” thatwas received as an attachment to an e-mail from Adam Kempf can cause aperson profile for Adam Kempf to be displayed. In some implementations,initiating, receiving, or viewing an instant message conversation with aperson can cause a profile 108 for the person to be displayed.

In some implementations, receiving a phone call or Voice Over InternetProtocol communication from a person can cause a profile 108 for theperson to be displayed. In some implementations, initiating a phone callor Voice Over Internet Protocol communication with a person can cause aprofile 108 for the person to be displayed. In some implementations,listening to a voice message or other recorded audio communicationinvolving a person can cause a profile 108 for the person to bedisplayed. In some implementations, viewing a written transcript of aphone call or other audio communication with a person can cause aprofile 108 for the person to be displayed. In some implementations,sending or receiving a text message to or from a person can cause aprofile 108 for the person to be displayed. In some implementations,viewing a person's name, contact information, picture or phone number ona cell phone or other mobile device can cause a profile 108 for theperson to be displayed.

In some implementations, opening or viewing a webpage which contains aprofile for a person can cause a profile 108 for the person to bedisplayed. For example, viewing Sarah Conrad's Facebook profile page cancause a profile 108 for Sarah Conrad to be displayed. In anotherexample, viewing an employee profile for Samantha Jared on heremployer's website can cause a profile 108 for Samantha Jared to bedisplayed. In another example, viewing Cynthia Burns' YouTube or Flickerprofile can cause a profile 108 for Cynthia Burns to be displayed.

In some implementations, opening or viewing a webpage or other documentthat contains a person's name or other identifying information can causea profile 108 for the person to be displayed. For example, viewing awebsite about a charity function that lists Frank Stevens as a volunteercan cause a profile 108 for Frank Stevens to be displayed. In anotherexample, opening a PDF file of an article that lists Jason Rios as anauthor can cause a profile 108 for Jason Rios to be displayed. Inanother example, viewing a website that contains a person's screen namecan cause a profile 108 for the person associated with the screen nameto be displayed. In another example, opening a spread sheet thatcontains a person's e-mail address can cause a profile 108 for theperson associated with the e-mail address to be displayed.

In some implementations, opening or viewing a webpage or other documentthat contains a name or other identifying information for a person withwhich the user has communicated or for which the system 100 can displaya profile 108, and no other names or identifying information for personswith which the user has communicated or for which the system 100 candisplay a profile 108, can cause a profile 108 for the person to bedisplayed. For example, viewing a website about Bill Henderson that doesnot contain any other person's names can cause a profile 108 for BillHenderson to be displayed. In another example, a user can view a websiteabout a fishing tournament that lists the participants of thetournament. One of the participants listed can be a person named JakeByron. If the system 100 is capable of displaying a profile 108 for JakeByron, but is not capable of displaying a profile 108 for any of theother listed participants, the system 100 can display a profile 108 forJake Byron in response to the user viewing the website. In anotherexample, a user can open a spread sheet that lists employees of acompany. If the user has only exchanged communications with one personlisted in the spread sheet, the system 100 can display a profile 108 forthe person in response to the opening of the spread sheet.

In some implementations, opening or viewing a webpage or other documentthat displays a person's name or other identifying information moreprominently than the name's or identifying information of other peoplelisted on the webpage or document can cause a profile 108 for the personto be displayed. For example, the user can view an article on a webpageabout Jill Anders. The article can contain names of other people thatthe user has communicated with and for whom person profiles can bedisplayed. In this example, Jill Anders' name is listed more prominentlythan the other names, either by being listed in the title of thearticle, in a larger font than the main portion of the article, in bold,or highlighted in some other manner. Since Jill Anders' name is listedmore prominently than the other names listed in the article, the system100 can determine that a profile 108 should be displayed for Jill Andersrather than for one of the other persons listed in the article. In anexample similar to the previous example, Jill Anders' name can be listedmore often in the article than any of the other names listed in thearticle. This can cause the system 100 to determine that a profile 108should be displayed for Jill Anders rather than for one of the otherpersons listed in the article. In another example, the user can view aprofile for a person with the screen name “guitarguy24”. In thisexample, “guitarguy24” appears at the top of the profile page as aheader. The profile also contains names and screen names for otherpersons with which the user has communicated. The system can determinethat a profile 108 associated with the screen name “guitarguy24” shouldbe displayed since “guitarguy24” is displayed in the header of theprofile page.

In some implementations, a profile 108 for a person can be displayed inresponse to the user clicking on or selecting the person's name or otheridentifying information. For example, the user can view a web page thatlists participants in a marathon that includes several persons withwhich the user has communicated. The user can select one of the namesfrom the list to cause a profile 108 for the selected name to bedisplayed. In another example, the user can view a list of instantmessage contacts in an instant message client. The user can select ascreen name from the list of instant message contacts to cause a profile108 for the selected contact to be displayed. In another example, theuser can view a document that contains a list of e-mail addresses. Theuser can select one of the e-mail addresses to cause a profile 108associated with the selected e-mail address to be displayed. In anotherexample, the user can view a list of a person's social network friendson the person's social network profile. The user can then select asocial network profile name from the displayed list of friends to causea profile 108 associated with the selected social network profile nameto be displayed.

In some implementations, opening or viewing a photo or video of a personcan cause a profile 108 for the person to be displayed. For example,viewing a photo of Frank Peppers on a picture sharing website can causea profile 108 for Frank Peppers to be displayed. In another example,viewing a YouTube video that includes footage of Evan Carpenter cancause a profile 108 for Evan Carpenter to be displayed.

In some implementations, opening or viewing a webpage or document thatcontains subject matter related to a person can cause a profile 108 forthe person to be displayed. For example, viewing a webpage for CornellUniversity can cause a profile 108 to be displayed for one of the user'scontacts who attended Cornell University. In another example, viewing awebpage for a company can cause a profile 108 to be displayed for one ofthe user's contacts who works for the company. In another example,viewing a webpage can cause a profile 108 to be displayed for a personwith an e-mail extension that is the same as or similar to the URL ofthe webpage.

In some implementations, viewing, opening, selecting, clicking on,hovering over, or indicating content created by a person can cause aprofile 108 for the person to be displayed. For example, opening aMicrosoft Word Document created by Matt Miller can cause a profile 108for Matt Miller to be displayed, even if the body of the document doesnot contain Matt Miller's name or any other identifying informationabout Matt Miller. In another example, viewing a blog written or createdby Jennifer Lansing can cause a profile 108 for Jennifer Lansing to bedisplayed. In another example, selecting a comment posted on a websiteby Lisa Bunge can cause a profile 108 for Lisa Bunge to be displayed. Inanother example, selecting a forum post written by Andrew Fenton cancause a profile 108 for Andrew Fenton to be displayed. In anotherexample, hovering a mouse icon over a wall post posted by Dan Hues cancause a profile 108 for Dan Hues to be displayed.

In some implementations, the system 100 can determine if a person ismore important than other persons and display a person profile for themore important person. This determination can be based on past userbehavior. For example, the user can view an e-mail that is addressed totwo persons. In the past, when a person profile for the first person wasdisplayed, the user did not interact with, or showed minimal interactionwith, the person profile for the first person. When a person profile forthe second person was displayed in the past, the user interacted withthe person profile for the second person more than the person profilefor the first person. In this example, the system 100 can determine thatthe second person is more important than the first person and display aperson profile for the second person in response to the e-mail addressedto both persons being viewed.

In another example, a first person listed on an e-mail may be the vicepresident of a company and a second person listed on an e-mail may bethe first person's administrative assistant. The system 100 candetermine that the first person is more important than the second personbased on bibliographic data for each person and display a person profilefor the first person in response to the e-mail addressed to both personsbeing viewed.

In some implementations, the system 100 can insert links or buttons intowebpages and documents being viewed by the user. The system 100 candetermine if a webpage or document being viewed includes names or otheridentifying information of any persons with which the user has exchangedcommunications. The system 100 can then insert a button or link inproximity to the identified names in the webpage or document. Forexample, if a webpage contains names of three people with which the userhas exchanged communication, the system 100 can insert a button next toeach of the three names. The user can then click on one of the buttonsto cause a profile 108 for the selected person to be displayed. Inanother example, the system 100 can turn the identified names intohyperlinks instead of inserting buttons. When the user clicks on one ofthe hyperlinks, the system 100 can display a profile 108 for theselected person. In other implementations, the system 100 can make theidentified names selectable in another manner.

In some implementations, the system 100 can be linked to a phone (e.g.,voice over IP phone) used by the user. For example, the system 100 caninclude means for detecting when the user makes or receives a phone callor text message using the phone and display information related to arecipient or initiator of the phone call or text message in the profile108. In some implementations, the user can make a specific request toview information in the profile 108 by performing a search for aperson's name or other identifying information. In some implementations,the system 100 can display more than one person profile in response toany of the above described actions.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1A, the user has selected the e-mail 110in the inbox viewing panel 104 and header information and a portion ofthe body of the e-mail 110 is displayed in the e-mail viewing panel 106.The e-mail 110 was received from the sender 112. The system 100 hasdetermined that the user has made an implicit request to viewinformation related to the sender 112 by selecting the e-mail 110. Inresponse to this implicit request, the system 100 displays in theprofile 108 information related to the sender 112.

In the example, the information displayed in the profile 108 includes ane-mail address 116, a phone number 118, communication statistics 120, acontact network 122, a conversation list 124, and a files exchanged list126. In some implementations, the profile 108 can display additionalcontact information such as name, screen names, social network profilenames, social network profile URLs, physical addresses, website URLs,additional e-mail addresses, or additional telephone numbers.

In the example, the communication statistics 120 include the number ofe-mails received from the sender 112 and the number of e-mails sent tothe sender 112. In other implementations, additional communicationstatistics 120 can be displayed, including times of communications,dates of communications, types of communications, volume ofcommunications, length of communications, or speed of responses. Forexample, a statistic for the average amount of time it takes the sender112 to respond to e-mails sent by the user can be displayed. In anotherexample, the times of day that the sender 112 is most likely to respondto an e-mail or other form of communication can be displayed as acommunication statistic 120. In another example, a statistic can bedisplayed that lists the percentage of communications between the userand the sender 112 that occur using a telephone, the percentage ofcommunications that occur using instant messaging, the percentage ofcommunications that occur using e-mails, or the percentage ofcommunications that occur using a social network website as a percentageof all communications between the user and the sender 112. In anotherexample, the number of communications sent or received on which thesender 112 has been copied can be displayed as a communication statistic120. In another example, the number of communications received by theuser on which the sender 112 has also been listed as a recipient can bedisplayed as a communication statistic 120.

In some implementations, the communication statistics 120 that aredisplayed can be chosen by the user. The user can choose to have adefault set of communication statistics displayed, or the user canselect which individual communication statistics 120 are to bedisplayed. The user can choose to have the same set of communicationstatistics 120 displayed for each profile 108 or the user can choose tohave a different set of communication statistics 120 displayed dependingon which person or topic the currently displayed profile 108 isassociated with.

The contact network 122 displayed in the profile 108 shows a list ofcontacts 128 that are associated with the sender 112. In the exampledepicted, the contacts 128 are shown as e-mail addresses. In otherimplementations, the contacts 128 can be listed as names, screen names,nick names, employee numbers, social network profile names, socialnetwork profile URLs, telephone numbers, website URLs, or anycombination of these.

In some implementations, details about a contact 128 can be displayedadjacent to the contact 128 in the contact network 122. These detailscan include time since last communication, last form of communication,frequency of communications, total numbers of communications, or otherrelated data.

The contacts 128 listed in the contact network 122 are contacts that areassociated with the sender 112. The contacts 128 can include recipientsof communications from the sender 112, recipients of communications ofwhich the sender 112 is also a recipient, individuals named in a body orheader of a communication with the sender 112, or individuals named in adocument that is attached to a communication with the sender 112. Forexample, a person who was copied on an e-mail between the user and thesender 112 can be listed as a contact 128 in the contact network 122. Inthe example depicted, the header of the e-mail 110 as shown in thee-mail viewing panel 106 lists all.houston@enron.com as a recipient ofthe e-mail 110. The contact network 122 lists all.houston@enron.com as acontact 128 of the sender 112. In another example, if the user receivesan e-mail from the sender 112 with the subject line “Matt Smith'sbirthday party”, Matt Smith can be listed as a contact 128 in thecontact network 122 even if Matt Smith has never been included in orbeen the recipient of any communications between the user and the sender112. In another example, if the user posts a comment to a social networkprofile page belonging to the sender 112 and a person named Eric Johnsonhas also posted a comment to the social network profile page, or islisted as a friend of the sender 112 on the social network profile page,Eric Johnson can be listed as a contact 128 in the contact network 122.

In some implementations, the contacts 128 listed in the contact network122 can be collected from sources other than communications between theuser and the sender 112. In one implementation, the sender 112 canprovide a list of contacts to the user to include in the contact network122 for the sender 112. The sender 112 can provide the list of contactsto the user through sharing the list of contacts on a shared network, orby sending a communication to the user with, for example, the list ofcontacts in a body of the communication or in an attachment to thecommunication.

In some implementations, the system 100 can collect data from outsidesources in order to determine contacts 128 to be listed in the contactnetwork 122. The system 100 can query various sources to extractinformation on contacts that can be associated with the sender 112 andlisted in the contact network 122. Sources of information that can bequeried to derive contacts associated with the sender 112 can includeweb search engines, people search engines, social networks, personal webpages, telephone directories, scanned business card data or companywebsite profiles.

For example, the system 100 can perform a search of a social networkbased on the sender 112's name, e-mail address, screen names or otherinformation about the sender 112. The system can then identify a profilepage on the social network belonging to the sender 112. Any contactsthat are publicly listed on the social network profile page can belisted in the contact network 122 of the sender 112 even if the user hasnever communicated with the sender 112 using the social network orviewed the profile page of the sender 112 on this social network. Insome implementations, the system 100 can access and extract contactslisted on a private social network profile page belonging to the sender112 if the user has proper access information or authorization to viewthe private social network profile page of the sender 112.

In another example, the system 100 can use a search engine to perform asearch based on the sender 112's name, e-mail address, screen names orother information about the sender 112 in order to identify web pagesthat may contain contacts that can be associated with the sender 112.For example, the system 100 can use a search engine to perform a searchbased on the sender 112's name. If one of the search results returned isfor a blog written by a person named Mark Adams that mentions the sender112, then Mark Adams can be listed as a contact 128 in the contactnetwork 122. In another example, the system 100 can determine that thesender 112 works for the same company as a person who has sent adifferent communication to the user. This person can then be listed as acontact 128 of the sender 112. In some implementations, the system 100can collect data using a peer to peer network.

Information that can be used to collect information about contacts 128or other information displayed in the profile 108 can include e-mailaddresses, names, screen names, social network profile names, phonenumbers, personal website URLs, social network profile URLs, or physicaladdresses.

The contacts 128 displayed in the contact network 122 can be listed inorder based on a ranking system. Criteria used to rank the contacts 128can include total volume of communication, volume of communication overa period of time, length of communications, importance level ofcommunications, types of communications, contents of communications,time of communications; methods by which the contacts 128 weredetermined to be associated with the sender 112, or any combination ofthese. For example, the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the totalnumber of communications between the user and the sender 112 for which acontact is also a recipient of the communication. In another example,the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the number of communicationsbetween the user and the sender 112 for which a contact is also arecipient of the communication over the course of the last three weeks.In another example, the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the numberof communications between the user and a contact for which the sender112 is also a recipient of the communication.

In another example, the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the lengthof communications between the user and the sender 112 for which acontact is also a recipient of the communication with longercommunications being ranked higher than shorter communications. Inanother example, contacts that are listed on communications flagged asurgent or important can be ranked higher than other contacts. In anotherexample, the user can choose to have contacts who mainly communicatewith the user or sender 112 using e-mail ranked higher than contacts whomainly communicate with the user or sender 112 using instant message orsocial networks. In another example, the system 100 can use the contentsof communications involving each contact 128 and the sender 112 todetermine if communications involving the contact 128 and the sender 112are primarily business related or social related communications. Thesystem 100 can then give a higher ranking to contacts associated withbusiness communications than contacts associated with socialcommunications.

In another example, contacts who are associated with more recentcommunications between the user and the sender 112 can be ranked higherthan contacts associated with older communications between the user andthe sender 112. In another example, contacts that have been determinedto be associated with the sender 112 based on e-mail communication canbe ranked higher than contacts that have been determined to beassociated with the sender 112 based on web searches.

In some implementations, each contact 128 listed in the contact network122 can be a link to more information about the contact 128. Forexample, if a contact 128 is clicked on, selected, or interacted with bythe user, a person profile containing information about the selectedcontact 128 can be displayed. In another example, the user can hover amouse cursor or other selection tool over a contact 128. This can causea pop-up bubble containing additional information about the contact 128to be displayed.

The conversation list 124 can display a list of recent communicationsbetween the user and the sender 112 or involving the user and the sender112. The communications displayed on the conversation list 124 can be alist of past e-mails, text messages, instant messages, telephone calls,social network communications, message board posts or voice over IPcommunications involving the sender 112. In some implementations, theconversation list 124 can be a list of recent conversation threadsinvolving the sender 112. A conversation thread is a series ofcommunications that can be grouped together. For example, a series ofe-mails having the same or similar subjects can be grouped together as aconversation thread. In another example, a group of instant messagesbetween the sender 112 and the user that occurred over a specific periodof time can be grouped together as a conversation thread. For example,if the user sent and received a series of instant messages from thesender 112 over a three hour period earlier in the day, and thatconversation was separated from another series of instant messagesbetween the user and the sender 112 by a period of 2 hours, the instantmessages that were sent and received during that three hour period canbe grouped together as a conversation thread. In another example, aseries of telephone calls between the user and the sender 112 thatoccurred during a set time period can be grouped together as aconversation thread.

The communications or conversation threads displayed in the conversationlist 124 can be listed in order based on a ranking system. In oneimplementation, conversation threads can be listed in order of mostrecent communications to oldest communications. In some implementations,conversation threads can be listed in order of oldest to most recent. Insome implementations, conversation threads can be listed in order ofimportance with conversation threads containing communications marked asurgent being ranked higher than conversation threads with fewercommunications marked urgent or no communications marked urgent. In someimplementations, the system 100 can determine which conversation threadsare work related and which conversation threads are social. Theconversation threads that are work related can then be ranked higherthan the conversation threads that are social. In some implementations,conversation threads can be ranked based on the number of communicationsin the conversation thread.

Communications that are listed in the conversation list can includecommunications initiated by the sender 112, communications for which thesender 112 is a recipient, communications on which the sender 112 hasbeen copied, or communications in which the sender 112 is mentioned.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1A, the conversation list 124 displays alist of recent conversation threads involving the user and the sender112. The conversation threads displayed are for recent e-mailcommunications involving the user and the sender 112. The e-mails ineach conversation thread are grouped by subject. The conversation list124 displays the subject for each conversation thread, the number ofe-mails in each conversation thread, and the amount of time that haspassed since the last communication for this conversation thread wassent or received. In other implementations, additional information canbe displayed for each conversation thread, including: time and date ofthe last communication in the conversation thread, time and date of thefirst communication in the conversation thread, other contacts involvedin the conversation thread, average length of communications in theconversation thread, total number of people involved in the conversationthread, level of importance of the communications in the conversationthread, attachments shared in the conversation thread, calendar eventsrelated to the conversation thread, other forms of communication relatedto the conversation thread, relevant web data, or average response timeof communications in the conversation thread.

In some implementations, the conversation list 124 can display a summaryor the first few lines of the most recent communication for eachconversation list. In some implementations, the conversation list 124can display a summary or the first few lines of the first communicationfor each conversation list. In some implementations, the conversationlist 124 can display a summary or the first few lines of the lastcommunication initiated by the sender 112 for each conversation list.

The files exchanged list 126 displays a list of files that were attachedto communications involving the user and the sender 112. This caninclude communications initiated by the user for which the sender 112was a recipient, communications initiated by the sender 112 for whichthe user was a recipient, or communications initiated by a third partyfor which the sender 112 and the user were both recipients. The filesexchanged list 126 can also include files that were exchanged betweenthe user and the sender 112 without using a communication medium. Forexample, the files exchanged list 126 can include files that weretransferred from the sender 112's network drive to the user's computeror network drive. In another example, the files exchanged list 126 caninclude files that were transferred to the user's computer or networkdrive from an external hard drive, flash drive, or floppy disk belongingto or populated by the sender 112.

The files displayed in the files exchanged list 126 can be listed inorder based on a ranking system. In one implementation, files can belisted in order of most recently received files to least recentlyreceived files. In some implementations, files can be listed in order ofoldest to most recent. In some implementations, files can be listed inorder of importance, with files that were attached to communicationsmarked as urgent being ranked higher than files attached tocommunications that were not marked as urgent. In some implementations,the system 100 can determine which files are work related and whichfiles are personal. The files that are work related can then be rankedhigher than the files that are personal. In some implementations, filescan be ranked based on the size of the files.

In some implementations, the files displayed in the files exchanged list126 can be grouped together. The files can be grouped together based onthe subject of the communications to which the files were attached, filename, file title, date of the file, date of the communication, filetype, or subject matter of the file. For example, if a document hasundergone several rounds of revisions, the different versions of thedocument can be grouped together so that the different versions of thedocument can be easily compared to one another. In another example, anumber of files about rain forests can be grouped together since theyall contain related subject matter. In another example, all image filescan be grouped together so that they can be more easily viewed, oreasily put into a slide show. For example, a group of image files can bedisplayed as a slide show and each slide can contain additionalinformation about the image being displayed, such as who sent the image,recipients of the image, the date the image was sent or received, orother information drawn from one or more communications to which theimage was attached.

FIG. 1B shows a profile 130 for a person 132 named “Jen Ertel”. Theprofile 130 for the person 132 can be displayed in response to an actionby a user that indicates either an implicit or direct request to viewthe profile 130 of the person 132. Actions by the user that can causethe profile 130 for the person 132 to be displayed can include viewingor selecting a communication sent by the person 132, viewing orselecting a communication for which the person 132 is listed as arecipient, composing or initiating a communication with the person 132,selecting or clicking on a name, screen name, or e-mail address of theperson 132, or performing a search for information related to the person132.

The profile 130 includes a search bar 134. The search bar 134 can beused to request that information be displayed about a particular person,topic, conversation thread, communication, or file. For example, asearch performed using the search bar 134 and the search string “AllanTate” can result in a person profile for a person named Allan Tate beingdisplayed. In another example, a search using the search string“sunday_presentation.ppt” can result in information about a file named“sunday_presentation.ppt” being displayed. In another example, a searchusing the search string “2002 Sales Goals” can result in information tobe displayed regarding communications with the subject “2002 SalesGoals”, containing the phrase “2002 Sales Goals”, or having attachmentsthat contain the phrase “2002 Sales Goals”.

Search criteria that can be used to identify a person profile caninclude names, screen names, social network profile names, socialnetwork profile URLs, physical addresses, website URLs, e-mailaddresses, e-mail subject lines, file names, or telephone numbers. Forexample, a search using the search string “allan.tate@example.com” canresult in a person profile for a person named “Allan Tate” beingdisplayed. In the example depicted in FIG. 1B, a search for the phonenumber “(612) 555-1243” may have been performed in-order to display theprofile 130 for the person 132 named “Jen Ertel”.

The profile 130 can include a title bar 136. The title bar 136 candisplay a name, a nick name, a screen name, a primary e-mail address, orother identifying title for the person 132 so that the user can easilyidentify who the information in the profile 130 is related to.

The profile 130 can also include an image 138. The image 138 can be apicture of the person 132 to help the user more easily identify who theinformation in the profile 130 is related to or to help the useridentify whom he or she is communicating with. For example, if the userreceives an instant message from a person with the screen name“summergirl” the user may not be able to remember who this screen namebelongs to. When the instant message is received, the profile 130 candisplay information about the person with the screen name “summergirl”including a picture of the person as the image 138. This can help theuser to identify whom he or she is communicating with. The image 138 canalso be an image, icon, or picture associated with the person 132. Theimage, icon, or picture can be used to identify the person 132 as abusiness contact, co-worker, friend, social acquaintance, client, orcontractor. For example, all of the person profiles 130 for contactsfrom a particular company can display a logo for that company. This canhelp the user to quickly identify what relationship he or she has withthese particular contacts.

The image 138 can be added to the profile 130 by the user, or it can beautomatically extracted from a communication with the person 132 or froma website or profile page belonging to or about the person 132. Forexample, if a social network screen name or URL for the person 132 isknown, an image from the person 132's social network profile page can beextracted and used as the image 138. In another example, if instantmessage communications with the person 132 include an icon thatidentifies the person 132, this instant message icon can be extractedand used as the image 138.

The profile 130 can include communication statistics 140 aboutcommunications involving the person 132. These communication statistics140 can include the statistics as previously described for FIG. 1A. Inthe example shown in FIG. 1B, one of the communication statistics 140displayed is a graph 142 showing what times of day communications arereceived from the person 132 and the relative volume received from theperson 132 at each time of day. This can help the user to determinewhen, or how quickly the person 132 will respond to a new communicationfrom the user. For example, if the user lives in the United States andthe person 132 lives in Germany, most of the communications receivedfrom the person 132 may occur between 5:00 am and 10:00 am of the user'slocal time. The graph 142 can easily display this information so thatthe user can determine when to reasonably expect a response to a recentcommunication from the person 132.

Other communication statistics 140 displayed in the profile 130 in FIG.1B include the total number of communications received from the person132, the total number of communications sent to the person 132, and arank 144. The rank 144 can be the rank of the person 132 compared to allother persons that the user communicates with. The rank 144 can bebased, for example, on total communications exchanged, total number ofattachments exchanged, total number of communications sent, total numberof communications received, length of communications or importance ofcommunications.

Communication statistics 140 can be displayed as graphs or charts asshown in FIG. 1B, or as text. In some implementations, statistics can bedisplayed in the profile 130 or in an additional panel or pop-up windowas “fun facts”. For example, when viewing a person profile for someonenamed “Matt Miller”, the person profile can display a message that reads“Matt's birthday is next week”. In another example, a pop-up bubble withthe message “Your last communication with Matt was 21 days ago” can bedisplayed. In another example, a panel can display a message reading“You send Matt 20 times as many messages as he sends you.”

Another example of a fun fact that can be displayed is “Matt is your5^(th) most e-mailed contact”. Another example of a fun fact that can bedisplayed is “your most e-mailed contact is Steve.”. Another example ofa fun fact that can be displayed is “the fastest responder to yourcommunications is Garrett.” The fun facts can include any combination ofcommunication statistics, communication information, contactinformation, or contact statistics.

In some implementations, communication statistics 140 can be shared withother persons. For example, the user can choose to share communicationstatistics with the person 132. The person 132 will then be able to viewcommunication statistics 140 about his or her communications with theuser. In some implementations, the user can indicate that one or morepersons are trusted contacts. Communication statistics 140 can beautomatically shared with all persons indicated as trusted contacts.Other information, such as calendar information, contact information, orcontact network information can also be shared with trusted contacts.

The profile 130 can include contact information 146. The contactinformation 146 displayed can include e-mail addresses, telephonenumbers, screen names, social network profile names, social networkprofile URLs, physical addresses, facsimile numbers, or website URLs.The contact information 146 can be collected from a variety of sourcesincluding communications between the person 132 and the user,communications between the user and other persons, e-mail body text,e-mail meta data, e-mail header information, e-mail attachments, websearch engines, people search engines, social networks, e-mail clients,instant messages, personal web pages, telephone directories, scannedbusiness card data, text messages, picture sharing websites, videosharing websites, personal profile pages, telephone communications, orcustomer relationship management systems. For example, when the userreceives an e-mail from a person, that person's e-mail address can beadded to the list of contact information 146 for that person's profile130. In another example, when the user makes a phone call to a person,that person's telephone number can be added to the list of contactinformation 146 for that person's profile 130.

In some implementations, contact information 146 can be extracted fromthe body, subject, or meta data of a communication between the user andthe person 132. For example, if the user receives an e-mail from theperson 132 with a signature block at the end that includes a telephonenumber, facsimile number, and screen name for the person 132, thiscontact information can be extracted from the e-mail and added to thelist of contact information 146 for the person 132's profile 130. Inanother example, an e-mail from a person can include an address for theperson in the body of the e-mail or in an attachment to the e-mail, thisaddress can be extracted from the e-mail or attachment and added to thelist of contact information 146 for that person's profile 130. Inanother example, the person 132 can leave a social network post for theuser telling the user the person 132's instant message screen name, thisscreen name can be added to the list of contact information 146 for theperson 132's profile 130.

In some implementations, contact information 146 for the person 132 canbe extracted from a communication from a third party. For example, theuser can receive an e-mail from Bill that contains the text “Mary's cellphone number is 608-555-5353”. This phone number can be extracted fromBill's e-mail and added to the list of contact information 146 forMary's profile 130. In another example, the user can receive an e-mailwith an attachment that contains a list of telephone numbers, e-mailaddresses, and office numbers for everyone in the user's office. Thetelephone number, e-mail address, and office number for each personlisted on the attachment can be extracted and added to the list ofcontact information 146 for the person profiles 130 of each personlisted on the attachment.

Contact information 146 can be extracted from multiple sources,including multiple e-mail clients, multiple web mail systems, multipleinstant message clients, multiple telephone numbers, multiple socialnetworks, or multiple web pages.

In some implementations, contact information 146 can be collected usingsearch engines, telephone directories, or people search engines. Searchcriteria can include e-mail addresses, names, screen names, socialnetwork profile names, phone numbers, personal website URLs, socialnetwork profile URLs, facsimile numbers or physical addresses. Forexample, a search of a telephone directory or people search engine for“Rex Banner” can return a telephone number for Rex Banner. Thistelephone number can then be added to the list of contact information146 for Rex Banner's profile 130. In another example, a people search orweb search for the e-mail address “alewis@example.com” can return a URLfor a social network profile for Adam Lewis. The name “Adam Lewis” canthen be associated with the e-mail address “alewis@example.com” in aprofile 130. In addition, the social network profile URL and socialnetwork screen name for Adam Lewis can be added to the list of contactinformation 146 for Adam Lewis's profile 130. Furthermore, additionalcontact information, that is listed on the social network profile forAdam Lewis, such as additional e-mail addresses, phone numbers, instantmessage screen names, etc., can be extracted from the social networkprofile and added to the list of contact information 146 for AdamLewis's profile 130.

In another example, a web search or person search for a person canreturn a photo or video sharing website profile for the person. The URLor screen name for the person's photo or video sharing website profilecan be added to the list of contact information 146 for the person'sprofile 130. In addition, the photo or video sharing website may containadditional contact information for the person that can be extracted andadded to the list of contact information 146 for the person's profile130.

In another example, contact information 146 for the person 132 caninclude an e-mail address “jertel@examplecompanyltd.com”. A web searchcan be performed to identify the website associated with the e-mailextension “exam plecompanyltd.com”. For example, this e-mail extensioncan be associated with a company called “Example Company ltd.” Thewebsite for Example Company ltd. can then be searched for informationabout the person 132. The website may include a profile page for theperson 132 that includes contact information that can be added to thelist of contact information 146 for the person 132's profile 130. Inaddition, the URL for the profile page can be added to the list ofcontact information 146 for the person 132's profile 130.

In some implementations, the address for a person can be used to refinethe search results for that person by constricting the results toinformation about persons in a specific geographic area. For example, ifa search is being performed for information on a person with a commonname, such as “Bill Johnson”, and Bill Johnson's address is known, thesearch results can be refined by restricting the results to informationabout person's named Bill Johnson in the city of the known address. Insome implementations, other information about a person can be used torefine search results for that person.

In some implementations, contact information can be extracted from ashared network drive or through a secure connection. In someimplementations, contact information can be automatically shared betweensystems. For example, the person 132 can elect to share contactinformation with all people in a trusted network, such as all peoplewith e-mail extensions from the same company. A computer belonging tothe person 132 can then automatically send contact information to alltrusted people. If the user is in the network of trusted people, theperson 132's contact information will automatically be shared with acomputer or system belonging to the user.

In some implementations, contact information for the person 132 can bemanually added or removed from the profile 130 by the user. In someimplementations, contact information for the person 132 can be manuallyadded or removed from the person profile by the person 132 or by a thirdparty. In some implementations, the user can choose which contactinformation for each person is displayed in that person's personprofile.

In some implementations, when a mouse cursor or other selection tool ishovered over/indicates a piece of contact information in the list ofcontact information 146, a pop-up bubble or other indicator can bedisplayed which indicates the source from which the piece of contactinformation was received or extracted. For example, if a phone numberhas been extracted from an e-mail, a hover bubble can be displayed whichshows the e-mail or a portion of the e-mail where the phone number wasextracted with the extracted info highlighted or demarcated in some way.

In some implementations, the user can be allowed to validate contactinformation in the list of contact information 146. Validated contactinformation can be indicated as validated, and un-validated contactinformation can be indicated as un-validated. For example, if a phonenumber for the person 132 is extracted from an e-mail, the user can lookat the phone number to determine if it is indeed the correct phonenumber for the person 132. If the user believes that the phone number iscorrect, the user can choose to validate the phone number. The phonenumber can then be displayed along with an indication that it has beenvalidated, such as with a check mark icon, or text that reads “valid”.If the user is unsure if the phone number is correct, or has not takenthe time to validate the phone number, the phone number can be displayedwith an indication that it has not been validated, such as with aquestion mark icon, or the text “not validated”.

In some implementations, presence of the person 132 can be indicated forsome or all of the contact information on the list of contactinformation 146. For example, an indicator next to a person's instantmessage screen name can indicated if the person is currently logged ontothe related instant message network. In another example, an indicatornext to a person's social network screen name or URL can indicate if theperson is currently logged onto the related social network or if theperson has made a recent update to his or her social network profile. Inanother example, an indicator next to a person's e-mail address canindicate if the person has put up an away message or out of the officemessage.

In some implementations, the profile 130 can display information aboutthe person 132's current location. If the person 132 is in possession ofa GPS unit, GPS enabled phone, or other location detection device, theperson 132 can choose to share his or her location information. Thereare several services that allow a person to share location informationwith other people. The person 132 can choose to share his or herlocation information with the user. The profile 130 can then display thecurrent location of the person 132. This location information can bedisplayed as an address, map coordinates, or a graphic of a map with anicon to indicate the person 132's present location.

Other information about the person 132 that can be displayed on theprofile 130 can include birthday, gender, age, job title, employer,universities attended, family information, or other biographical data.Information from Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRMs) aboutor related to the person 132 can also be displayed in the profile 130.Information about calendar items or scheduled meetings related to theperson 132 or related to a communication can also be displayed as partof the profile 130.

In some implementations, information from one or more websites can bedisplayed as a chronological feed of information in the profile 130.This information can be queried on the web via one or more searchengines or from one or more specific websites through establishedassociations between the person 132 and the one or more websites. Forexample, this information can be found by general searching, peoplesearching, or querying websites where it has been established that theperson 132 is generating content or is the subject of content on thewebsite. Search terms for these searches can include e-mail addresses,names, screen names, social network profile names, phone numbers,personal website URLs, social network profile URLs, or physicaladdresses. Information that is extracted from communications with theperson 132 can also be used as search criteria.

The profile 130 can include a schedule time link 148. The user can clickon/interact with the schedule time link 148 to send a communication tothe person 132 to request a meeting or to send the user's schedule tothe person 132. For example, clicking on the schedule time link 148 cancause an e-mail to be automatically composed that is addressed to theperson 132 that contains all of the times over the course of the nextweek that the user is available during business hours. This scheduleinformation can be extracted from a calendar associated with an e-mailclient, web mail account, social network account, instant messagingprogram, telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or websitebelonging to the user or associated with the user. In addition, scheduleinformation can be extracted from a calendar stored on a computer,network drive, or other data storage location belonging to or associatedwith the user. In one implementation, clicking on the schedule time link148 can cause a communication to be sent to the person 132 requestingschedule information from the person 132.

The profile 130 can also include one or more initiate communicationlinks 150. In the example shown in FIG. 1B, the initiate communicationlink 150 displayed will cause an e-mail addressed to the person 132 tobe automatically generated when it is clicked on. Other forms ofcommunication that can be initiated using an initiate communication link150 include telephone calls, instant messages, text messages, socialnetwork messages, social network posts, message board posts, facsimiles,or voice over IP communications. For example, the profile 130 caninclude a “call Jen” link that can cause the user's cell phone to dialJen's phone number when clicked on. In another example, the profile 130can include an “instant message” link that when clicked on, can cause aninstant message program to automatically open and generate an instantmessage addressed to a screen name of the person 132.

The profile 130 can include a contact network 152. The contact network152 can include a list of contacts associated with the person 132. Thecontact network 152 can be populated using the methods previouslydescribed in the description of FIG. 1A. The profile 130 can alsodisplay the total number of contacts associated with the person 132 inthe contact network 152. In the example shown in FIG. 1B, the contactnetwork 152 displayed in the profile 130 indicates that there are 50contacts in Jen's contact network 152.

Clicking on, selecting, or interacting with one or more contacts fromthe contact network 152 can cause one or more actions to occur. In oneimplementation, selecting a contact from the contact network 152 cancause a person profile for that contact to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting one or more contacts from the contact network152 can cause a communication directed to the selected contacts to beinitiated. For example, selecting three contacts from the contactnetwork 152 can cause an e-mail addressed to the three contacts to begenerated. In another example, clicking on three contacts from thecontact network 152 can cause the user's telephone to initiate aconference call with the selected contacts. In some implementations,selecting one or more contacts from the contact list can cause acommunication directed to the selected contacts and the person 132 to begenerated.

In other implementations, selecting a contact from the contact network152 can cause the most recent communication or conversation threadbetween the user and the selected contact to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting a contact from the contact network 152 cancause the most recent communication or conversation thread involving thecontact, the person 132, and the user to be displayed. In someimplementations, moving a mouse cursor over a contact in the contactnetwork 152 can cause information about the contact to be displayed. Forexample, moving a cursor over a contact can cause a small pop-up bubbleto appear that displays the contact's phone number, e-mail address, orother contact information. In some implementations, contacts can bemanually added or removed from the contact network 152 by the user.

The profile 130 can include a conversation list 154 that includes a listof recent communications or conversation threads involving the user andthe person 132 as previously described in the description of FIG. 1A.The conversation list 154 can display the total number of communicationsor conversation threads involving the user and the person 132. In theexample shown in FIG. 1B, the conversation list 154 indicates that 2510conversation threads have occurred that involved the user and the person132.

Clicking on or selecting a conversation thread or communication in theconversation list 154 can cause a more detailed summary of theconversation thread or communication to be displayed. For example,selecting a conversation thread can cause a summary of one or morecommunications in the conversation thread to be displayed. In anotherexample, selecting a communication in the conversation list 154 cancause a summary of the communication to be displayed. In someimplementations, selecting a communication in the conversation list 154can cause the communication to be displayed. For example, selecting ane-mail from the conversation list 154 can cause the e-mail to bedisplayed.

In some implementations, selecting a conversation thread can cause themost recent communication to be received or the most recentcommunication to be sent in that conversation thread to be displayed. Insome implementations, selecting a conversation thread in theconversation list 154 can cause the first communication in thatconversation thread to be displayed. In some implementations, selectinga conversation thread from the conversation list 154 can cause acommunication addressed to all of the participants of the conversationthread to be generated. For example, selecting an e-mail conversationthread can cause an e-mail to be automatically generated that isaddressed to all of the e-mail addresses involved with the selectedconversation thread.

In some implementations, selecting a conversation thread can cause aperson profile for the initiator of the first communication in theconversation thread to be displayed. The person profile can be similarto the profile 130 in FIG. 1B. In some implementations, selecting aconversation thread can cause a person profile for the initiator of themost recent communication in the conversation thread to be displayed. Insome implementations, selecting a conversation thread can cause a personprofile for the initiator of the most communications in the conversationthread to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting aconversation thread can cause a person profile for the recipient of themost recent communication in the conversation thread to be displayed.

In some implementations, selecting a conversation thread can cause aperson profile for a person associated with one or more communicationsin the conversation thread to be displayed. For example, a personprofile can be displayed for a person who is listed in the To, From, CC,or BCC field in one or more of the communications in a conversationthread when the conversation thread is selected. In another example, aperson profile can be displayed for a person who is listed in acommunication or an attachment to a communication in a conversationthread when the conversation thread is selected. In someimplementations, multiple person profiles can be displayed for multiplepersons associated with one or more communications in a conversationthread when the conversation thread is selected.

In some implementations, communications or conversation threads can bemanually added or removed from the conversations list 154 by the user.

The profile 130 can include a files exchanged list 156. The filesexchanged list 156 can contain a list of files exchanged between theuser and the person 132 as previously described in the description ofFIG. 1A. For each file listed in the files exchanged list 156, theprofile 130 can display a file name, a file title, an icon, the time ordate when the file was received, the amount of time that has elapsedsince the file was received, the subject of the communication to whichthe file was attached, or other information about the file. Iconsdisplayed next to a file name or file title can indicate what type ofdocument the file is. In the example depicted, a file 158 with the filename “sturgeon 001.jpg” is displayed. An icon next to the file name forthe file 158 indicates that the file 158 is a picture file. A date nextto the file name indicates that the file 158 was received on April 23.

Clicking on or selecting a file in the files exchanged list 156 cancause the file to open. In some implementations, selecting a file cancause the communication to which the file was attached to be displayed.In some implementations, selecting a file can cause a list of files withthe same file name to be displayed. This allows the different versionsof a document that has undergone several rounds of revisions to bereviewed and compared to each other. In some implementations, selectinga file can cause a summary of the file to be generated and displayed.For example, hovering a cursor over a file in the files exchanged list156 can cause an information bubble containing the title and first fewlines of the file to be displayed. This list of files can include a timeand date stamp for each version of the file so that the most recentrevision can be easily identified. In some implementations, files can becopied from the files exchanged list 156 to other locations. In someimplementations, files can be manually added or removed from the filesexchanged list by the user.

The profile 130 can include one or more menu buttons 160. The menubuttons can be used to change personal settings or preferences, changeviewing preferences, or access menus or help information. The profile130 can also include a minimize button 162 that can cause the profile130 to minimize or close. When the minimize button 162 is clicked orselected, a minimized version of the profile 130 that takes up lessspace in a viewing window can be displayed. The minimized version of theprofile 130 can include a summary of some or all of the informationdisplayed by the profile 130.

In some implementations, the profile 130 can contain weatherinformation. For example, the person profile can display current weatherinformation for the location of the person 132 based on one or moreaddresses for the person 132. The weather information can be displayedas text or as one or more graphics.

FIG. 1C shows a viewing panel 164. The viewing panel 164 can display aperson profile such as the profile 130 of FIG. 1B. The viewing panel 164can also display information about communications, communicationattachments, files, or conversation threads. In the example shown inFIG. 1C the viewing panel 164 displays information about a conversationthread 166. The information about the conversation thread 166 can bedisplayed in response to a user clicking on a conversation thread 166 ina conversation list, such as the conversation list 154 from FIG. 1B. Insome implementations, the conversation thread 166 can be displayed inresponse to the user viewing, reading, selecting, opening, writing,initiating, or receiving a communication that is part of the currentlydisplayed conversation thread 166. For example, the user can select ane-mail such as the e-mail 110 from FIG. 1A. This can cause acommunication profile containing information about the conversationthread 166 that includes the selected e-mail to be displayed. Thecommunication profile can include information about the selected e-mailas well as other e-mails and communications involved in the sameconversation thread 166 as the selected e-mail.

In another example, the user can view an instant message which can causeinformation about a conversation thread 166 which includes the instantmessage to be displayed. In another example, the user can receive aphone call that is a continuation of a conversation thread 166. This cancause a communication profile containing information about theconversation thread 166 that includes the received phone call to bedisplayed. In another example, the user can compose an e-mail that is acontinuation of a conversation thread 166. This can cause acommunication profile containing information about the conversationthread 166 that includes the e-mail to be displayed.

In some implementations, the conversation thread 166 can be displayed inresponse to a search performed by the user. For example, the user canuse a search bar 168 to search for a conversation thread 166 based onthe subject of the conversation thread 166, participants in theconversation thread 166, files attached to communications in theconversation thread 166, or key words or terms in the communications ofthe conversation thread 166.

The viewing panel 164 can include one or more navigation buttons 170.The navigation buttons 170 can include a profile view navigation button172. The profile view navigation button 172 can be used to return theviewing panel 164 to a profile view so that the viewing panel 164displays information about the sender or recipient of a currentlyselected communication, or another person as indicated by the user. Thenavigation buttons 170 can also include a back button 174. The backbutton 174 can be used to display a person profile, conversation thread,or other information that was previously displayed in the viewing panel164. For example, if the user was previously viewing a person profilefor a person named Mark Wagner, clicking on the back button 174 cancause the viewing panel 164 to display the person profile for MarkWagner. In another example, if the user was previously viewinginformation about an e-mail attachment, clicking on the back button 174can cause the viewing panel 164 to display the previously viewed e-mailattachment information.

The navigation buttons 170 can also display a navigation history thathas lead to the current information being displayed in the viewing panel164. In the example shown in FIG. 1C, the navigation buttons 170indicate that the user first viewed a person profile for Jen Ertel. Theuser then viewed a person profile for Jerri Clark Wagner. The user mayhave opened the person profile for Jerri Clark Wagner by clicking on thename Jerri Clark Wagner in a contact network or list of contacts on JenErtel's person profile, or by performing a search for Jerri ClarkWagner, or other information associated with Jerri Clark Wagner. Thenavigation buttons 170 indicate that the user then viewed a personprofile for Mark Wagner. The user may have caused the currentconversation thread 166 to be displayed by clicking on a conversationthread in a conversation list similar to the conversation list 124 fromFIG. 1A. In some implementations, clicking on or selecting any of thebuttons in the navigation history can cause the viewing panel 164 todisplay the person profile, conversation thread, communication,communication attachment, or other information associated with theselected navigation button 170.

The viewing panel 164 can include a title bar 176. The title bar 176 caninclude the type of information being displayed in the viewing panel,the subject, and other key information. When the information beingdisplayed in the viewing panel 164 is a conversation thread 166, thetitle bar 176 can indicate that a conversation is being viewed, thetitle or subject line of the conversation thread, the number ofcommunications involved in the conversation thread, the types ofcommunications involved in the conversation thread, or the number ofpeople involved in the conversation thread. In the example shown, thetitle bar 176 indicates that a conversation is being viewed, that thesubject line of the communications in the conversation thread 166 is“dinner?”, that there are 8 people involved in conversation thread 166,that 18 communications are included in the conversation thread 166, andthat all 18 communications are e-mails.

The viewing panel 164 can include a summary of some or all of thecommunications 178 that make up the conversation thread 166. Informationdisplayed as part of the summary for each communication 178 can includethe sender of the communication 178, the recipients of the communication178, the time or day that the communication 178 was sent or received,attachments to the communication 178, the first few lines or sentencesof the communication 178, the importance of the communication 178, orthe number of recipients of the communication 178. For example, ane-mail summary 180 indicates that the user sent an e-mail in response toan e-mail from Jerri 1 week ago and that 5 additional recipients werealso listed on the e-mail. The e-mail summary 180 also displays thefirst lines of the e-mail sent to Jerri.

In some implementations, the communications 178 that make up theconversation thread 166 can be of various communication types. Forexample, a conversation thread can include a combination of e-mails,instant messages, and social network profile comments. In anotherexample, a conversation thread can include a combination of phoneconversation transcripts, text messages, and blog posts.

In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a communicationsummary in the conversation thread 166 can cause the relatedcommunication to be displayed. For example, clicking on the e-mailsummary 180 can cause the e-mail sent from the user to Jerri to bedisplayed. In another example, selecting a communication summary in theconversation thread 166 can cause a person profile for a sender or oneor more recipients of the related communication to be displayed. Inanother example, selecting a communication summary in the conversationthread 166 can cause one or more attachments or a list of attachments tothe related communication to be displayed. In some implementations,selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread 166 cancause a communication addressed to the sender or one or more recipientsof the related communication to be automatically generated. In someimplementations, selecting a communication summary in the conversationthread 166 can cause a more detailed summary for the relatedcommunication to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting acommunication summary in the conversation thread 166 can cause acommunication profile containing information about the communication tobe displayed.

The viewing panel 164 can include a detail adjustment control 182. Thedetail adjustment control 182 can be used to modify the amount of detailthat is displayed in each communication summary in the conversation list166. In one implementation, adjusting the detail adjustment control 182can increase or decrease the number of words or lines of a body of acommunication that are displayed in each communication summary. In someimplementations, adjusting the detail adjustment control 182 canincrease or decrease the amount of information that is displayed foreach communication summary. For example, the detail adjustment controlcan be changed to display an e-mail address and phone number for eachsender or recipient of each communication 178 in the correspondingcommunication summary. In another example, the detail adjustment control182 can be used to control what information is used to identify sendersor recipients of communications 178 in each communication summary.Information used to identify senders or recipients can include names,nick names, screen names, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, socialnetwork profile names, or company names.

In some implementations in which some or all of the communications thatmake up a conversation thread 166 are telephone calls or voice over IPcommunications, audio recordings of some or all of the telephone callsor voice over IP communications can be displayed in the conversationthread 166. Clicking on or selecting a telephone call or voice over IPcommunication in the conversation thread 166 can cause an audiorecording of the communication to play. In some implementations,automatically or manually created transcripts of telephone calls orvoice over IP communications that make up part or all of a conversationthread 166 can be displayed. In some implementations, a summary of atranscript of the audio communication can be displayed as part of acommunication summary in the conversation thread 166. Clicking on orselecting a communication summary of a telephone call or voice over IPcommunication for which a transcript exists can cause the fulltranscript of the audio communication to be displayed, or an audio fileof the audio communication to play.

The viewing panel 164 can include a conversation participants list 184.The conversation participants list 184 can be a list of senders andrecipients of the communications 178 that make up the conversationthread 166. Information about each participant in the conversationthread 166 can be displayed, including name, contact information, numberof communications initiated in the displayed conversation thread 166,and other relevant information. The conversation participants list 184can also indicate the total number of participants involved in theconversation thread 166.

In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a person listed in theconversation participants list 184 can cause a person profile for theselected person to be displayed. In some implementations, selecting aperson from the conversation participants list 184 can automaticallygenerate a communication addressed to the selected person. In someimplementations, selecting a person from the conversation participantslist 184 can cause all communications or summaries of communicationsfrom the current conversation thread 166 that were initiated by theselected person to be displayed.

The viewing panel 164 can include a files exchanged list 186. The filesexchanged list 186 can display a list of files that have been exchangedin the current conversation thread 166. For example, the files exchangedlist 186 can list all of the files that have been attached tocommunications 178 in the conversation thread 166. Clicking on orselecting a file from the files exchanged list 186 can cause theselected file to open. In some implementations, selecting a file fromthe files exchanged list 186 can cause one or more communications towhich the file was attached to be displayed. In some implementations,selecting a file from the files exchanged list 186 can cause one or morecommunication summaries for communications to which the file wasattached to be displayed.

In some implementations, the viewing panel 164 can include webinformation derived from links in one or more of the communications 178in the conversation thread 166. For example, one of the communications178 can contain a link to a website for a restaurant. Information aboutthe restaurant, such as hours of operation, address, daily specials, ortype of food can be displayed in the viewing panel 164. In anotherexample, a communication 178 in the conversation thread 166 can containa link to a document that contains information about an upcomingmeeting. Information about the meeting, such as meeting time, location,or agenda items can be displayed in the viewing panel 164. In anotherexample, one of the communications 178 can contain a link to a websitefor a concert. Information about the concert, such as date, time,location, and artists performing, can be displayed in the viewing panel164.

In some implementations, the viewing panel 164 can include informationderived from a file attached to one or more of the communications 178 inthe conversation thread 166. For example, if a file containinginformation about a birthday party is attached to one of thecommunications, information about the birthday party, such as name ofthe person who's birthday it is, date, time and location can bedisplayed in the viewing panel 164.

In some implementations, addresses or maps of locations listed in one ormore of the communications 178 or in one or more files attached to oneor more of the communications 178 can be displayed. For example, if anaddress is listed in one of the communications 178, the address can bedisplayed in the viewing panel 164. In another example, if an address islisted in one of the communications 178, a map of the address can bedisplayed in the viewing panel 164. In another example, if a city islisted in an attachment to one of the communications 178, a map of thecity can be displayed in the viewing panel 164.

FIG. 1D shows a search panel 188 for a search titles “bike”. The searchpanel 188 can display search results gathered from, for example, acommunication profile such as the communication profile 130 of FIG. 1B.The search panel 188 can also display information about communications,communication attachments, files, web page links, or conversationthreads. The communications can be gathered from search engine input,social network communications, e-mail, instant messages, text messages,content sharing communications and telephone communications to name afew examples. In some implementations, the search bar 188 can operatesimilarly to the search bar 134 in the profile 130 described earlier. Inthe example shown in FIG. 1D the search panel 188 displays conversationdata. The conversation data illustrated in FIG. 1D includes a web pagehyperlinks list 190 and an email message list 192.

In some implementations, the web page hyperlinks list 190 can includeweb page hyperlinks gathered from communications. The hyperlinks shownin the list can be indexed in a data structure that relates thehyperlink to the communication from which the hyperlink is gathered. Insome implementations, the index can be stored in a database to improvethe access response time to the hyperlink or other data stored in thedatabase.

The example search bar 188 illustrates a search term 194, in thisexample, the text “bike”. As illustrated in the search bar 188, the term“bike” reflects communications in the web page hyperlinks list 190 wherehyperlink information is displayed. The web page hyperlinks list 190 caninclude highlighting 196 of content matching the term “bike”. Forexample, web page content 198 gathered from the web pagehttp://www.joesbikeshop is displayed just below the web page linkhttp://www.joesbikeshop. The content 198 includes occurrences of thesearch term 194 where the occurrences are highlighted by the system 100.In some implementations, if a match is found for one or more of thelink, the communication associated with the link, or the contentassociated with the link including in some implementations, a specificor selected portion of the content, the portion of the content can bedisplayed in the web page hyperlinks list 190 for the web page content198.

FIG. 2 shows a webpage 200. The webpage 200 includes pictures and namesfor several people. The webpage 200 includes a picture 202 and a name204 for a person named Aarmir V. A button 206 has been inserted onto thewebpage 200 over Aarmir V's name 204. The button 206 may have beeninserted onto the webpage 200 by a system similar to the system 100 fromFIG. 1A. The system may have identified Aarmir V as a person that a userhas exchanged communications with. In some implementations, the user maynever have communicated with Aarmir V, but the system may have enoughinformation to create a person profile for Aarmir V. The presence of thebutton 206 which includes Aarmir V's name can indicate that the systemis capable of presenting a person profile for Aarmir V. The user canclick on or select the button 206 to cause a person profile for Aarmir Vto be presented. In some implementations, the button 206 can take theform of a hyperlink. In some implementations, the button 206 can takethe form of highlighted text.

The webpage 200 further includes a picture 208 and a name 210 for aperson named Skyler Thomas. A button 212 has been inserted near the name210. The button 212 may have been inserted onto the webpage 200 by asystem similar to the system 100 from FIG. 1A. The presence of thebutton 212 near the name 210 can indicate that the system does notcurrently have enough data to present a person profile for SkylerThomas, but that the system is capable of collecting information fromone or more sources in order to create a person profile for SkylerThomas. The user can click on or select the button 212 to cause thesystem to collect information about Sklyer Thomas from one or moresources. In some implementations, selecting the button 212 can cause aperson profile for Skyler Thomas to be generated and displayed onceinformation about Skyler Thomas has been collected.

The webpage 200 further includes a search toolbar 214. In someimplementations, the search toolbar 214 can be included as part of thewebpage 200. In some implementations, the search toolbar 214 can beinstalled as a “plug-in” application to the internet web browserdisplaying the webpage 200. In some implementations, the search toolbar214 can be a standalone application which directs its search resultsinto or onto the webpage 200. Other implementations of the searchtoolbar 214 can also be implemented.

In the example webpage 200, the search toolbar 214 includes an entryfield 216 for entering search terms. In some implementations, the field216 can accept alphanumeric text entries. In this example, the textentry field 216 illustrates a search using the alphabetic search term“bike”. Another method for searching can include selecting contentwithin the webpage 200 and choosing from a popup context menu to performa search on the selected content.

The webpage 200 further includes an overlay 218 for displayinginformation. In some implementations, the overlay 218 can appearautomatically when a search is initiated. In some implementations, theoverlay 218 can appear when requested specifically by a user viewing thewebpage 200. In some implementations, the overlay 218 can includepersonal and conversation data. In some implementations, the overlay 218can include other suggested information. For example, the overlay 218may include hyperlinks to information relevant to the search term“bike”. In another example, the overlay 218 can include randomlyselected hyperlinks.

In some implementations, the overlay 218 can include an area to displaya web page hyperlinks list 220. In some implementations, the web pagehyperlinks list 220 can include items commonly displayed to describe ahyperlink, including a title, the hyperlink address, and a shortdescription of the hyperlink's destination webpage. In someimplementations, the web page hyperlinks list 220 can includehighlighting 222 of each occurrence for the search term entered in thesearch field 216. The highlighting 222 can include markings placedwithin the example webpage 200. The search term “bike” is shown enteredin the search toolbar 214, and the web page hyperlinks list 220 includeshyperlinks where the title, hyperlink, description, or some contentincluded in the destination web page for the hyperlink were indexed aspart of a conversation or person profile. The indexing of data includedin the web page hyperlinks list is described previously and in moredetail for FIG. 1D.

FIG. 3 shows an example communication delivery system 300. In the system300, a first device (e.g., computer 302) belonging to a first user cantransmit a communication to a second device (e.g., computer 304)belonging to a second user over a computer network 306. The computernetwork 306 can be the Internet, an intranet, a LAN system or acompany's internal computer network. In some implementations, thecomputer 302 and the computer 304 can be desktop computers, laptopcomputers, cell phones, web enabled televisions, or personal digitalassistants. The communication transmitted from the computer 302 to thecomputer 304 can be an e-mail, phone call, instant message, textmessage, social network message or comment, message board post, or voiceover IP communication.

The computer 304 can extract data from the communication about the firstuser. This data can be used to make a person profile similar to theprofile 130 shown in FIG. 1B. Data extracted from other communicationswith the first user can also be used to create a person profile for thefirst user. Data that is extracted from communications with the firstuser can be used to query websites, search engines, person searchdirectories and other sources of information for additional informationabout the first user that can be used to create a person profile.Information from communications that can be used as search criteriainclude names, screen names, social network profile names, socialnetwork profile URLs, physical addresses, website URLs, e-mailaddresses, or telephone numbers. Information that is collected as aresult of these queries can be used in future searches to identifyadditional information that can be used to create a person profile.

For example, the computer 304 can receive an e-mail sent by the firstuser from the computer 302. The computer 304 can perform a search usinga search engine 308 with the first user's e-mail address as the searchcriteria. The search engine 308 can return a search result that includesthe first user's phone number. This phone number can be displayed aspart of a person profile for the first user. The search engine 308 canalso return the URL for or link to a personal website 310 belonging tothe first user. The personal website 310 may contain additionalinformation about the first user that can be used to create a personprofile, such as additional contact information or biographicalinformation.

In another example, the e-mail address belonging to the first user mayinclude an extension for a company. The computer 304 can perform asearch using the search engine 308 with the e-mail extension as thesearch criteria. A result returned by the search can be a companywebsite. The company website can be searched to reveal a profile page312 for the first user on the company website. The profile page 312 maycontain additional information about the first user that can be used tocreate a person profile, such as additional contact information orbiographical information.

In another example, the computer 304 can perform a search using a personsearch directory 314 with the first user's name or other contactinformation as the search criteria. The person search directory 314 canreturn search results with additional contact information and otherinformation that can be used to create a person profile for the firstuser.

In another example, the computer 304 can receive an e-mail sent by thefirst user from the computer 302. The e-mail can contain a socialnetwork profile name for the first user. The computer 304 can extractthis social network profile name from the e-mail and use it to access asocial network webpage 316. The social network webpage 316 can containadditional contact information and other information that can beextracted and used to create a person profile for the first user. Thesocial network webpage 316 can also contain additional contacts that canbe associated with the first user in a person profile. For example,persons on the friends list of the social network webpage 316, orpersons who have posted comments or messages on the social networkwebpage 316 can be listed as contacts in a contact network for the firstuser.

In another example, a search performed using the search engine 308 canreturn a URL or link for a photo or video sharing website 318 on whichthe first user has a profile. Additional contact information orbiographical information that can be extracted and used to create aperson profile for the first user. For example, a profile belonging tothe first user on a video sharing website may include an instant messagescreen name for the first user. This screen name can be extracted anddisplayed as part of a person profile for the first user.

In some implementations, the communication data, contact information,bibliographic information and other data collected by the computer 304can be stored locally on a hard drive or other media storage device ofthe computer 304. In some implementations, the data collected by thecomputer 304 is stored in a location external to an e-mail client,instant message client, or other communication client used in making thecommunications. For example, a person profile for the first user caninclude information about e-mails exchanged between the first user andthe second user, the person profile for the first user is stored in amemory location on the computer 304 that is separate from a memorylocation used by an e-mail client used to send and receive the e-mailsexchanged between the first user and the second user. In anotherexample, data related to the contents of communications in aconversation thread can be stored in a memory location on the computer304 that is separate from a memory location used by an e-mail clientthat was used to send and receive the communications in the conversationthread.

In some implementations, the communication data, contact information,bibliographic information and other data collected by the computer 304can be stored in a remote database 320 that is external to the computer304. In some implementations, the computer 304 can connect to the remotedatabase 320 via the computer network 306 as shown in FIG. 3. In someimplementations, the computer 304 can connect to the remote database 320directly or via a separate computer network. The data stored in theremote database 320 can be separate from data stored by an e-mailclient, instant message client, or other communication client. Forexample, an e-mail client running on the computer 304 can store datalocally on the computer 304 while data collected as part of a personprofile, including communication data collected from the e-mail client,is stored in the remote database 320.

Information extracted from communications between the first user andsecond user can be used to update profile information on a socialnetwork webpage or other webpage. For example, the computer 304 candetect that the second user system has primarily used e-mail address“david@foo.com” in recent communications, while the second user'sprofile on the social network webpage 316 shows his email address as“david@bar.com”. The computer 304 can share the second user's new e-mailaddress with the social network webpage 316 and the social network canautomatically update the second user's info or suggest he update itbased on this changed behavior recorded by the computer 304.

The computer 304 can monitor the behavior of the second user todetermine if the second user has made an implicit request to view aperson profile. For example, the second user can view the social networkpage 316 for the first user. The computer 304 can detect that the seconduser is viewing the social network page 316 associated with the firstuser and present a person profile for the first user. In anotherexample, the second user can view a social network profile for a thirdperson which can cause the computer 304 to present a person profile forthe third person.

In another example, the second user can view the personal website 310 ofthe first user. The computer 304 can detect that the second user isviewing the personal website 310 associated with the first user andpresent a person profile for the first user. In another example, thesecond user can view the profile page 312 for the first user on thefirst user's company website. The computer 304 can detect that thesecond user is viewing the profile page 312 associated with the firstuser and present a person profile for the first user.

In another example, the second user can view a profile for the firstuser on the photo or video sharing website 318. The computer 304 candetect that the second user is viewing the profile associated with thefirst user on the photo or video sharing website 318 and present aperson profile for the first user. In another example, the second usercan view a photo of a third person on the photo or video sharing website318. The computer 304 can detect that the second user is viewing a photoof the third person and present a person profile for the third person.

In another example, the second user can view a list of people in theperson search directory 314. The second user can then select orindicated a person's name on the list of people. The computer 304 candetect that the second user has selected or indicated the person's nameand present a person profile for the person.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process 400 for organizing andretrieving information related to electronic communications. The process400 can, for example, be implemented in a system such as the system 100of FIG. 1A. In another example, the process 400 can be implemented in asystem such as the communication delivery system 300 of FIG. 3.

Stage 402 identifies content in a communication, the content including alink. For example, content including links can be collected fromcommunications such as e-mails, instant messages, phone calls, textmessages, internet message board postings, social network messages orcomments, or voice over IP communications can be collected.

In some implementations, identifying content that contains links can beaccomplished by an application that searches for textual patterns commonto links. For example, identifying links can include comparisons ofcontent to a known list of link prefixes including “http://”, “ftp://”,“www.”, “.com”, “.net”, or other types of web page link textualpatterns.

Stage 404 characterizes content associated with the link. In someimplementations, characterizing content associated with the link caninclude extracting keywords from the language of the link. For example,the link “http://www.fastcars.com” includes keywords that may beextracted such as “fast” and “cars”. In some implementations, thesekeywords may later be used when searching for similar content or contentassociated with historical communications.

In some implementations, characterization may include characterizing thecontent of the communication to which the link was attached (i.e., thecontent associated with the link can include the original communicationor any other related communication). For example, an email communicationmay include content that describes what the link refers to. For example,an email communication may include the text “Hello, please visit thislink, it's all about cars, trucks, and motorcycles” followed by the link“http://www.fastcars.com”. In this example, the text included in theemail communication includes keywords such as “cars” and “trucks” can beincluded in the characterization of the link “http://www.fastcars.com”.

In some implementations, characterizing content associated with the linkcan include extracting keywords from the name or title of the webpagethat the link refers to. For example, the webpage“http://www.fastcars.com” can have a title embedded in the content ofthe webpage that can be accessed and parsed into separate keywords orphrases. These keywords or phrases may later be used when searching forsimilar content or content associated with historical communications.

In some implementations, characterizing content associated with the linkcan include extracting keywords from the content of a webpage, where thewebpage has been referenced by a link within a communication. Forexample, an email communication may include a link to a webpage that oneuser might suggest another user visit. Identifying keywords can includetraversing or scanning the contents of the webpage referenced by thelink and extracting these keywords.

In some implementations, webpages may include embedded links to otherwebpages and webpages behind the embedded links may include embeddedlinks to still other webpages. In this case, keywords can be identifiedwithin webpages one or many embedded levels from the original link. Forexample, a link included in an email communication may link to a webpagesuch as “http://www.fastcars.com:”. The content of the webpage“www.fastcars.com” may include a list of other links to webpages relatedto cars such as links to tire companies, chrome accessory companies andlubricant companies. In this example, keywords may be extracted from notonly the original “www.fastcars.com” webpage content, but also thecontent of the webpages of the tire companies, chrome accessorycompanies and lubricant companies.

In some implementations, characterizing content associated with a linkcan include describing a link by assigning a name or title to the link.For example, the link “http://www.marathonsandfitness.com” may bedescribed with a single name or title such as “exercise”. In someimplementations, characterizing content associated with a link caninclude describing the link in terms of the keywords that a user mightenter to search for the link. For example, a web link of“http://www.bicycles.com” may be described using a list of keywords suchas “bicycle, bike, wheels, pedals”. In some implementations,characterizing content associated with a link can include describing thelink in terms of the keywords that relate to the content behind thelink. For example, content behind a link can include the text, images,animations or other types of information included in a webpage.Additionally, the content behind a link can include a webpage thatincludes other embedded links. In some implementations, the system 400may characterize content by following or accessing the information orcontent behind the links embedded in the web pages of other embeddedlinks. In some implementations, the number of embedded links and thecorresponding content behind those links that can be characterized maybe configurable for the system 400.

In some implementations, the characterization can be updated to reflectnew or changed content included in the web pages or embedded links. Inone example, changes to the content of a web page may result in the needfor the generation of additional keywords that can be included in acharacterization. In some implementations, the system 400 may include amechanism for performing regular updates to characterizations byindexing content of a link or accessing the information or contentbehind the link at set time intervals. In some implementations, updatesto characterizations can happen whenever the link is seen again(received, typed, etc.).

Stage 406 stores the characterization. For example, a systemimplementing the method 400 can store the characterization in asearchable form to allow for the easy retrievability of informationbased on a user prompt (e.g., in response to a search request) or thelike. In some implementations, storing the characterization can includeindexing the content including the link that is identified at stage 402and characterization at state 404. In some implementations, the indexcan relate the characterization, the link and the communication thatincluded the link. In some implementations, the index can include asingle word that is common to a link, a communication, and acharacterization. For example, the word “car” may provide an index foraccessing a webpage with a link of “www.cars-r-us.com”, a communicationsuch as an email including the link and a file attachment with afilename of “mynicecar.jpg” which characterizes the link.

In some implementations, the index can include the name of a category.For example, a category named “automobiles” can provide an index to anycommunications, links, and characterizations related to cars, trucks,vans and other types of automobiles.

In some implementations, the index can provide traceability of contentincluding links back to its source. For example, indexing content caninclude a pointer to an identifier for an email message where the emailmessage included the link. In this example, a conversation that includeda link to a webpage can be traced from a reference to the link back tothe original conversation.

Stage 408 detects a request for content. The request can be explicit orimplicit. For example, a system implementing the method can track themouse movements, keyboard strokes, or mouse clicks of a user of thesystem or active windows or mouse locations displayed on a monitor orother display device of the system. The user's behavior can be monitoredto determine if the user has opened, viewed, read, composed, initiatedor received a communication such as an email that relates to contentthat has been characterized. The user's behavior can also be monitoredto determine if the user has performed a search, clicked on a particularitem, or selected a particular item. Implicit requests to view thecharacterized information can include opening, viewing, reading,writing, initiating, or receiving an e-mail, performing a search orother communication. For example, the user can make an implicit requestto view a link by typing a search in the search toolbar describedpreviously for FIG. 1D.

Stage 410 presents one or more of the link, the communication or portionthereof that included the link or content associated with the link. Insome implementations, the link can be presented along with otherinformation, such as characterizing information. In someimplementations, the link is presented along with, or part of, acommunication profile. The communication profile displayed can beassociated with the communications that include the link. For example, asystem implementing the method 400 can display a communication profilefor communications in response to the user making an implicit searchrequest to view communications relevant to a search term. The examplesearch panel 188 in FIG. 1D illustrates just one view of communicationswhere the characterized content associated with the link matches aperformed search.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of another example process 500 forcharacterizing and retrieving information related to links in anelectronic communication. The process 500 can, for example, beimplemented in a system such as the system 100 of FIG. 1A. In anotherexample, the process 500 can be implemented in a system such as thecommunication delivery system 300 of FIG. 3.

Stage 502 receives an electronic communication that includes a link. Insome implementations, the communication received can include an emailmessage that includes a link. In other implementations, thecommunication received can include an text message sent throughtelephone, where the text message includes a link.

Stage 504 characterizes the link. In some implementations,characterizing the link can include extracting keywords from thelanguage of the link address. For example, the link“http://www.fastcars.com” includes keywords that may be extracted suchas “fast” and “cars”. In some implementations, these keywords may laterbe used when searching for similar content or content associated withhistorical communications. Other characterizations are possible.

Stage 506 evaluates user input to determine if input matches an entry inan index. For example, a search performed using the search panel 118depicted for FIG. 1D can be used to execute a text search for one ormore keywords. In some implementations, the search can be executed on arepository of communication data (i.e., that includes thecharacterizations and links), such as the remote database 320 shown forFIG. 3.

An example of a user interface for entering user input is illustratedand described previously for FIG. 1D. In the example search panel 188,the search field 194 depicts the text “bike”. In some implementations,the text “bike” can be evaluated against one or more indexes. Theindexes can relate historical communications, links, andcharacterizations.

Stage 508 presents one or more of the link, the communication or portionthereof associated with the link or associated content. In someimplementations, the communication including one or more links can bedisplayed in an overlay of webpage, where the links are displayed in alist of links, for example, the web page links list 220 portion of theoverlay 218, depicted for FIG. 2. In some implementations, thecommunication including one or more links can be displayed as a list oflinks shown in a sidebar, for example, the sidebar 188 for FIG. 1D.

The apparatus, methods, flow diagrams, and structure block diagramsdescribed in this patent document may be implemented in computerprocessing systems including program code comprising programinstructions that are executable by the computer processing system.Other implementations may also be used. Additionally, the flow diagramsand structure block diagrams described in this patent document, whichdescribe particular methods and/or corresponding acts in support ofsteps and corresponding functions in support of disclosed structuralmeans, may also be utilized to implement corresponding softwarestructures and algorithms, and equivalents thereof.

This written description sets forth the best mode of the invention andprovides examples to describe the invention and to enable a person ofordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. This writtendescription does not limit the invention to the precise terms set forth.Thus, while the invention has been described in detail with reference tothe examples set forth above, those of ordinary skill in the art mayeffect alterations, modifications and variations to the examples withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed: 1-10. (canceled)
 11. A method, comprising: creating, bya computer, a plurality of profiles including a first profile, eachprofile corresponding to a respective sender of one of a plurality ofcommunications, and each profile including a plurality of web pagelinks, each of the web page links extracted from one of the plurality ofcommunications, wherein each of the plurality of web page links pointsto a respective web page, and the first profile includes a first linkthat points to a first web page; characterizing, by the computer,respective content associated with each of the plurality of web pagelinks to provide characterization data; and storing, in memory, thecharacterization data for use in responding to an access request. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the characterizing comprises extractingkeywords associated with each respective web page.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the access request is a search request of a user towhom the plurality of communications is addressed.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, further comprising, in response to the search request,gathering search results comprising data from the first profile, anddisplaying the search results in a user interface of a computing deviceof the user, the search results comprising the plurality of web pagelinks for the first profile.
 15. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising, in response to the search request, displaying an emailmessage list in the user interface.
 16. The method of claim 11, whereinthe plurality of communications comprises communications in a socialnetwork, and the first profile comprises data gathered from the socialnetwork.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the characterization datacomprises web page content gathered from the first web page, and furthercomprising in response to receiving the access request in a userinterface of a computing device, displaying the web page content on adisplay of the computing device.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein theaccess request comprises a keyword, and the web page content comprisesthe keyword.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the displaying the webpage content comprises highlighting the keyword on the display.
 20. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the storing the characterization datacomprises storing data in a database for responding to the accessrequest, the stored data relating web page links to respectivecommunications from which each respective web page link is gathered. 21.The method of claim 11, wherein the characterization data comprisesfirst content extracted from the first web page.
 22. The method of claim21, wherein the first content is text that relates to the first link.23. A system, comprising: a display; memory storing softwareinstructions; and a computer configured via the software instructionsto: create a plurality of profiles including a first profile, eachprofile corresponding to a respective sender of one of a plurality ofcommunications, and each profile including a plurality of web pagelinks, each of the web page links extracted from one of the plurality ofcommunications, wherein each of the plurality of web page links pointsto a respective web page, and the first profile includes a first linkthat points to a first web page; characterize respective contentassociated with each of the plurality of web page links to providecharacterization data; and store the characterization data for use inresponding to an access request provided via a user interface presentedon the display.
 24. The system of claim 23, further comprising adatabase, wherein the characterization data is accessed via the databasewhen responding to the access request.
 25. The system of claim 23,wherein the access request is a search request of a user to whom theplurality of communications is addressed.
 26. The system of claim 23,wherein the computer is further configured via the software instructionsto, in response to the access request, gather search results comprisingdata from the first profile, and present the search results on thedisplay, the search results comprising at least one of the plurality ofweb page links.
 27. The system of claim 23, wherein the characterizationdata comprises content gathered from the first web page, and thecomputer is further configured via the software instructions to, inresponse to receiving the access request, display the web page content.28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storingcomputer-readable instructions, which when executed, cause a computingsystem to: create, by a computer, a plurality of profiles including afirst profile, each profile corresponding to a respective sender of oneof a plurality of communications, and each profile including a pluralityof web page links, each of the web page links extracted from one of theplurality of communications, wherein each of the plurality of web pagelinks points to a respective web page, and the first profile includes afirst link that points to a first web page; characterize, by thecomputer, respective content associated with each of the plurality ofweb page links to provide characterization data; and store thecharacterization data for use in responding to an access request. 29.The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein thecharacterizing comprises extracting at least one keyword associated witheach respective web page.
 30. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 28, wherein the access request is a search request of a user towhom the plurality of communications is addressed.